Newberry basketball opens 2017-18 slate at Miami

NEWBERRY (Newberry) – Newberry will open its 2017-18 men’s basketball slate with an exhibition contest on Wednesday, Nov. 1 against Division I Miami.

The Wolves will travel to Coral Gables to face the Hurricanes, who are coming off a 21-12 campaign and bid to the NCAA Tournament as a No. 8 seed. Tip time is still to be determined.

The contest will mark Newberry’s 11th exhibition game under head coach Dave Davis. The Wolves are 1-9 in such games with a 101-89 win over Marshall coming in 2015.

The game with Miami will mark Newberry’s first game in the state of Florida since an 80-62 regular-season loss at Division I Central Florida on Dec. 1, 2009.

Newberry opened the 2016-17 season with an exhibition at Final Four participant South Carolina. The Wolves fell 107-89, scoring more points against the Gamecocks than any team except Alabama in the Crimson Tide’s 90-86 four-overtime win. Newberry also traveled to UNC Charlotte the same day as Newberry’s overtime win at Erskine, falling to the Division I 49ers 101-88.

Miami head coach Jim Larranaga has been with the Hurricanes’ program for the last six seasons, recording 20 or more wins in all but one of his campaigns in Coral Gables. He rose to prominence the head coach at George Mason, where his Patriots made an improbable run to the Final Four as a No. 11 seed in 2006.

Larranaga spent 14 seasons at George Mason, all of which were spent working alongside Dr. Maurice Scherrens, current Newberry College President. Scherrens worked in various roles at George Mason from 1977 until his hiring at Newberry in 2012, the last 16 of which as the school’s Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.

Newberry Exhibitions under Dave Davis